Posts Tagged ‘Andre Agassi’

WESTPORT, CT (Sportsman’s Daily Wire Service) While it’s hard to imagine drug-addled rock legend Keith Richards chasing down cross-court forehands in tennis whites, he is a self-professed “tennis junkie,” and for years has been a fixture at the US Open as well as other ATP events.

Kicking back at the family manse in posh Westport, Richards was determined to clear time and catch up on his reading, beginning with Andre Agassi’s 2009 tell-all, “Open.” When the book came out, Agassi caused a stir when he admitted to using crystal methamphetamine during the 1990 season, prompting withering rebukes from some of the game’s most widely recognized names, from Martina Navratilova to Marat Safin. Richards, however, blasted Agassi not for his ill-timed drug use, but for what he believes to be a far greater offense: lying about his Mohawk toupe.

“I don’t care what anyone tells you, a Mohawk toupe – or toupe Mohawk – can have far greater impact on an athlete’s performance than crystal meth,” said Richard in a recent interview with Tennis Magazine. “A hit of crystal meth will make you play like Superman for maybe half a set, but then it sort of levels off. But a hairpiece, especially an elaborate one, can affect your play the entire match. Years ago we were playing before a huge crowd, it was toward the end of the tour and the hair extensions I was wearing were starting to come loose. I was scared to move. I just stood there like Wyman, looking like an idiot.” (more…)